Fourteen Days in February

Double Date

Phil had been seeing Nicole for two months. He had casually dated girls before, though it never felt the way that he thought it was supposed to feel. There were no butterflies in his stomach, no fluttering of his heart, and no real desire for physical intimacy beyond kissing and cuddling.

It wasn't that he was trying to hide his preference for boys, it just so happened that Phil received more attention from girls.

He sometimes felt guilty, that he wasn't being completely honest with himself. Nicole was a nice girl. She was sweet, and thoughtful, and the only other person in his linguistics course who had an actual passion for the English language. Phil enjoyed hanging out with her, though he noticed that he felt much more at ease when they went out with a group.

"Phil? My friend Autumn wants to go mini golfing this weekend. She just started seeing this guy, and I told her that we should try double dating. Sound like fun?"

"Yeah, sounds nice. I love meeting new people. What's your friend like?

"Autumn is really outgoing. She's in nursing. You'll like her. I guess she met Dan at work. I haven't met him yet. I mean, they have only been out twice. I guess he's really funny and sweet."

"Sure." Phil smiled. "I'm up for it."

Four days later, the foursome planned to meet at the mini golf course about five miles from campus. They would play a round or two and get some food. If things went well, they might even get drinks.

"Autumn texted. They're almost here." Nicole smiled. "I can't wait to check this guy out. She has only been out with him twice, and she goes on and on about him. I guess he's really smart. It's kind of funny; they are total opposites. They have nothing in common. He kind of sounds like you. Isn't that funny Phil?"

Phil found himself looking up at the clouds. He wasn't trying to be rude, it was just that he had a life-long obsession with the sky.

"Huh? Sorry." Phil smiled and shook his head. "Do you think that cloud looks like a t-rex?" Phil pointed to the sky above with excitement.

Nicole felt mildly irritated. "No, sorry. I see a white blob."

Phil's face fell. Where was her imagination? Her sense of adventure?

"They're parking." Nicole stood and motioned for Phil to join her.

From where he stood, Phil thought that Autumn looked an awful lot like Nicole. Then he caught sight of the other boy, and his chest tightened.

Dan was positively gorgeous. The boy was tall and slim with dark brown hair and amber-colored eyes. His skin was smooth and unblemished with a beautiful sun-kissed glow.

"Phil, this is my friend Autumn, and her friend Dan. Autumn, Dan, this is Phil." Nicole stood by awkwardly, looking back and
forth between her friends.

"Hi there," Dan offered his left hand to Phil. "I don't usually meet people who can actually look me in the eye. What, are you like 6' 3"?

Phil laughed. "6' 2.9" actually." Nicole couldn't help but notice that the boys were still touching.

"So, Dan, you any good at mini golf?" Nicole was quick to learn more about the mysterious boy.

"No, I'm a complete flop." He laughed. "At least I will be entertaining."

Phil laughed. He noticed that Dan had great teeth and an unbelievable smile. He had double dimples; Phil tried to hide his attraction.

Because Autumn and Dan were not dating exclusively, and the two girls had catching up to do, Dan and Phil were left behind. Nicole and Autumn walked ahead with their heads pressed together in giggly gossip.